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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Posts by Zurf
My buddy in Pennsylvania used to have a cabin in a place called Spook Hollow. It was supposed to be haunted by the spirits of a family who were killed by Iriquios during the settlement days. I never saw any spirits that didn't come out of a bottle. But the name stuck. He had a ghost cut-out of plywood nailed to the side of the privy.
- Zurf
There's a million. I've been working on Travis Tritt's "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" lately. It requires Travis Tritt's peculiar growlshout delivery to work, which has been the hardest part for me. The guitar part is difficult to get down because the recordings I've heard and the videos I've seen on You-Tube have the guitar down very low and the voice carries the song. Then I realized how fortunate I am in that no one else knows what the guitar part sounds like either (except I assume Mr. Tritt).
If you want to go old school, it's tough to beat Johnny Cash's "Get Rhythm" for an upbeat country song. More in the old school vein are Hank William's "Hey Good Lookin'" and ???'s "If You've Got the Money, I've Got the Time" (I can't believe the name is slipping my mind right now - awful - and I've had nary a sip tonight). (It's Lefty Frizzel, I had to Google it. My mind is slipping.)
Modern Country, "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" by Joe Nichols is upbeat and kind of fun.
- Zurf
Many, if not most, of the songs in hymnals have passed into the public domain. I'd expect that license is from a given publisher or union, as you suggest.
- Zurf
How'd you like Kentucky? Beautiful there, isn't it? Though the place names are a bit odd, like Frog Stomp, Kentucky and Frozen Head State Park.
Good luck Russell. Keep the mutant fire alive!
- Zurf
Whether in its own forum or in Chat Corner or Other Instruments (which I never check in on and should), I would love to see some good basic information on singing discussed. I never contribute in the theory section because I have a poor understanding of it, but I certainly value the forum.
I doubt that I'd do much to contribute to a singing forum, or subjects in other forums as the case may be, but I would very much like to see what those who are knowledgeable (or even merely competent) have to say on the matter.
So, Kajima, go ahead and get something rolling in the Chat Corner. I for one am eager to partake.
I have never had a complement on my singing, but neither has anyone ever run screaming with hands over his/her ears. Excepting Penny the Music Critic Groundhog that is. I'm not kidding. I wish I was.
- Zurf
Zurf wrote:I wear a leather glove on the screw hand. It's a little Michael Jacksony, but it does cut down on the shrapnel intake.
- Zurf
Do you start moon walking when you wear it?
Just mooning. The "big boy belt" with my tools on it has a detrimental effect on the effectiveness of my pants' waistband.
- Zurf
I wear a leather glove on the screw hand. It's a little Michael Jacksony, but it does cut down on the shrapnel intake.
- Zurf
I think NELA is right. They will use it against you when you least expect it. But that's the breaks, bud. You still have to go for it.
And more importantly than that, I'd still have the guitar.
- Zurf
I forgot to mention, perhaps a metronome will help. When I am learning a difficult passage, I generally bring out my metronome and do it very, very slowly. It's important to use a metronome when learning something slowly because it's so easy to lose track of the beat when the tempo is slow. Anyway, get a strum pattern you want to learn - any pattern it doesn't matter - and do it to a metronome very, very slowly. Do it about 100 times. Then the next night the same thing. And soon you'll find that you can increase the speed and flawlessly play that pattern at nearly any tempo. Then learn another pattern the same way. By the time you've learned four or five patterns, you'll probably be able to start learning them at a faster tempo than the first ones.
Something I've noticed for myself, perhaps it doesn't relate to others but it does for me, is that CONCENTRATION is the hardest thing to achieve when practicing. My mind wanders all over the place. To learn something new, like a strumming pattern or a chord transition, it takes a lot of concentration. Using a metronome also helps me to focus my concentration. Something to think about anyway.
- Zurf
I row and paddle. Usually there's no impact, but when there is it's an accident and the impact is unpleasant. Plus, my very over 30 hands are beginning to swell at the knuckles and 14 miles in the kayak is beginning to hurt for longer than it takes to stretch a little at the ramp and dip my hands in the cooler water to get the swelling down. I went out in my canoe last Friday and rowed against current for a short distance - probably no more than 1/2 hour worth of rowing (though it was very aggressive) and I'm still aching. Just last night (Tuesday), I felt able to start playing again. You aren't alone. I'm not giving up picking, and I'm not giving up paddling. I may just have to start coming to grips with getting Aspercreme or Ben Gay on the strings.
It's getting to campfire season again. We talked of getting together in the back yard last year and couldn't make it work out. Now Detman is also close (about the same distance north of me as you are south). Let's try and pick a Saturday evening early in June to have a little strummery and co-encouragement where we can all get together and pick around my back yard campfire. I am eager to hear how you do that bicycle song. I keep trying to get it, but I must hear timing different from you and can't get it to work out in a pleasing manner. I love the lyrics. I'm an old cyclist myself. Used to do 40 miles a day at training speed and up to 100 miles per day on more moderately paced tours. I was skinny then. Now I'm fat and don't ride. There may be a connection if only I could find it...
- Zurf
NELA -
If there's ever anything she wants and doesn't get, I'd like to know what it was so I could go get it for her. I'm ALWAYS stuck at gift-giving time.
If things are still looking good at the end of the month, I'm going to go buy it. April's an expensive month. Both kids have birthdays.
- Zurf
Since you didn't buy that big old bass guitar, the twelve is in order. I say go for it.
Badeye
Tempting. Yeah, glad I passed on that bass. I really don't have anywhere to store it. But I do have walls left in my house. Just a little rearranging of the wall mounts, and I'm in business.
- Zurf
As I mentioned here in another post, I decided to go ahead and take some classes. It's going to be quite good for me in that the teacher is taking an entirely different approach to learning and playing music than I took when teaching myself. That has nothing to do with this post.
Well, maybe a little. While I was in the local music store where I've gotten to know the guys to pick up the books for the class, one of the guys I always say "Howdy" to was eating lunch. So I decided to diddle around a little until he got a few bites of his sandwich. While I was diddling around, I came across a Stagg acoustic 12 string. Only $199. Not anything special or fancy, but for a $199 guitar it sure sounded nice to me. This being the kind of music store run by a family and where they care about the instruments they sell, it was all set up and hanging there on the wall in tune and ready for my diddelations. I played the opening chords of "Peace Train" (without the capo unfortunately) and then the opening strummed chords of "Tin Cup Chalise" and then decided to try and finger pick "Early Morning Rain" - and GEEZ I wanted this guitar. Now, it has been an expensive couple of months in the Zurf household and I had just bought a new TV for my wife, and so I bypassed the guitar even with the reasonable price.
Later that day, I told my wife, "I almost walked out of the store with a guitar. They had a $199 twelve string in there." My wife said, "Why didn't you?" Why didn't I? Why didn't I? I did not expect "Why didn't you?" I expected, "Well I'm glad you didn't because things are pretty tight right now and we can use that extra money in much better ways...", and generally expected her to make good sense the way she usually does. But I did not in a million years expect, "Why didn't you?"
Next payday, we'll see how the balances are. There could be some trouble brewing here in a fun way.
- Zurf
Pure easy!!
I can do this easy and it does sound better. I guess I am/just been a lazy git.
A mutant is born!! Long live the mutants!!
- Zurf
Kajima - sweet idea. I'm going to play with that.
- Zurf
Like anything, texting can be abused. There are a couple people in my life to whom I need to get messages. Texting seems the easiest way to do that.
I had one person at Bible study last week (an adult) who was complaining about her daughter doing what bensonp described, and sent three messages herself during the study. So, apple didn't fall far from the tree there. Of course, I was late to start the study because I was on my cell phone talking to someone (it was an important call that if the person was at my house I'd have halted the study and excused myself to talk to him anyway, but nevertheless it does reduce the credibility of any complaints I put forward about cell phone use).
A buddy of mine was recently nearly killed by a kid texting while driving. 90mph around a blind curve in the rain, and he went over the center line right, hit a trailer being pulled behind a pickup truck, launched has car airborn and right into the grill of my buddy's Jeep Wrangler. My buddy was in the hospital for a week, and continues to be in physical therapy after six months. The trailer was turned into splinters. The kid sending the message was mangled and died in the hospital a couple weeks later still in physical agony. I hope it was an important message.
- Zurf
Shoot Tine, if that's a bad day for you, I'll take your kind of bad days right along. Sounds like a darned good one to me.
I haven't had too many bad days that way, but I've blown it a few times when playing bass in a praise band. Once during a short solo I slipped up and threw in an F instead of an F#, which was pretty sour. Another time in a song that went from slow paced to rocking, I lost my place and started thumb slapping out a hard (and very loud) rhythm at the beginning of the final soft stanza. During a worship song. While on stage.
- Zurf
- Zurf
Alvin and Billy. Last names withheld on purpose.
Unless you've spent some time around riverbank campfires, you're likely never to have heard these fellows sing. Well, maybe in some Appalachian churches too.
They are rather opposite, Alvin being a big man - about 6'3" or 4" and 320 pounds. His voice seems to start somewhere down around his ankles and well up from there. It comes out a rich, melodious, and controlled bass. He can sing country gospel live, just off the cuff, better than anyone I've heard anywhere. That includes concerts and recording studios.
Billy is a slight man (but not a small one, he's a real man with a good upbringing). He has that "high lonesome sound." Plus, his guitar picking is right on target. When he puts them together, why it's plain terrific. He and his father recently decided to give a try at a bluegrass open mic night. Neither had performed live before, excepting at church and riverbank campfires, so this was pretty new for them. The fellow hosting that night spent over a decade playing with Bill Monroe and then a lot more time playing with more greats. He finally settled down in Kentucky, where Billy lives. So they go and they're ready to play. The host asks him what song he's going to do. "Rank Strangers" he says. The host asks, "Mind if I play along? What key you doing it in?" "Sure. We're doing it in G." "G. That's awful high." "I can sing it," says Billy. So they perform Rank Strangers in G, with the fellow who cut his teeth with Bill Monroe playing along. At the end of the night, the host asks Billy and his father to come back up, he'd like Billy to sing a few more Bill Monroe songs with him.
Seems like some of the best never make it onto a record.
- Zurf
Of Venus and Serena Williams, I predicted long ago that it was Serena that would have the staying power. Venus Williams is a power player. She stands at the baseline and blasts away like a man. Serena has much more control and does a great job moving forward up to the net. I thought that the reduced impact of her style of play and the fact that she relied on control and placement rather than power would give her a natural advantage over the long haul. Venus has surprised me by staying in the top seeds for quite a long time now. Going on close to ten years now I think. Shows what I know.
The press loves the Williams sisters. They are great talents, there's no denying that. However, I remember once when Venus Williams was playing Lindsey Davenport. I was painting my kids play area of the family room and had the TV on. I wasn't watching, but listening to the play by play while I painted. By the play-by-play, I'd have thought that Venus Williams was cleaning Lindsey Davenport's clock. When I finally took a break and looked up at the screen, Lindsey Davenport had won the first set 6-2 and was well ahead in the second set. What a terrible job by the announcers. I don't recall who they were.
- Zurf
Second, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lagodigarda/100829629/
AWESOME!!!!
Doesn't that look cool? Makes me want to buy one and go fall down a lot.
- Zurf
Zurf wrote:SouthPaw41L wrote:Florida
'Nuf said.
Florida is where tennis players go when all they have left is yelling at skateboarding punks to get off their lawns.
- Zurf
Skateboarding on lawns???? Am I missing a new craze here?
ps-"Skateboarding is not a crime"
First, I said skateboarders. I did not say they were skateboarding at the time.
Second, http://www.flickr.com/photos/lagodigarda/100829629/
Third, http://www.flickr.com/photos/36961634@N00/472971844/
Ye think B is an evil chord?, Ab is the most evilist
Ken
I have the same problem with E sharp.
- Zurf
good luck Zurf.
I am not attending that classken
It would have been a wicked commute for you anyway.
- Zurf
You may want to try one of those guitar trainer thingies. I have one for bass, and it's neat. You can slow a song way, way down without changing the pitch. It makes it a bit easier (a lot easier) to hear what's going on. You can also set it to loop a particular section over and over (and over and over unless you can figure out how to make it stop, which I could not for a while, so don't lose your instruction manual). Anyway, that may help if you don't have to move quite so fast. You can also change the pitch/key to put it into one that you can play easier.
- Zurf
Guitar chord forum - chordie → Posts by Zurf
